Dying and Chroming Visors (Cheap) TUTORIAL

[N8TEBB]

I'll try this for my CQC build! Has anyone ever used face shields from the COVID era as visors? I feel like they'd work pretty well, since they're flexible enough.

I’m not sure what kind of plastic the face shields are made from. I have used the tinted face shields for flat visors before. They work best for flat visors like the ones for mandalorian helmets. I haven’t vacuum formed one of those shields

 

[ThreeEvening158]

I’m not sure what kind of plastic the face shields are made from.

It looks like most are made from PETG, Polycarbonate, or PET. I wasn't planning on vacuum-forming it either, and if it doesn't work I'll have other options. Just figured it's a cheap and easy option to try making a visor for the first time.

 

[N8TEBB]

Yeah the tinted ones work well, I've used em in a few helmets. If all you need is a black visor with no texture, they do the job quite well!

 

[ThreeEvening158]

Good thing I was planning on a black visor. Thanks for your help!

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Here's what the rattle can Spaz gets you (I initially tried to wipe some out to improve visibility, but got a little worried so I backed off.


Sorry about the gigantic size. I'm still learning this whole shebang.


View attachment 341907

View attachment 341908

View attachment 341909

That is much worse visibility than the Looking Glass rattle can I had recommended. Probably also due to how you applied it, too much. My visor has lasted me years and visibility is fine, definitely not an "in a pinch" option. It is only in silver and you would need to dye the visor to get other colors.

Dying and Chroming Visors (Cheap) TUTORIAL

It seems that the 405th is in need of a visor dying and chroming tutorial so I shall volunteer be the first to step up to the plate! In this tutorial we will be covering how I dye my visors any particular colour, and how I use spray chrome to block others from seeing my face while allowing me...

www.405th.com

Also, for ThreeEvening158 you can use any kind of plastic and apply car window tint to it if you are looking for just a flat visor. It works great. I've even cut out the sides of clear plastic totes and used those.

 

[Thenwcp]

I am attempting my first Noble Six helmet and am doing an experiment with window film. I think with a little heat gun application this will be nice and smooth, but I used your dyeing method with some orange dye and it’s just silver metallic window tint. The clarity inside is the same as looking out of a tinted car window, but as you can see it’s very reflective on the outside.

 

[Berzzi]

If I use Rit dye can I follow the same video steps even though it's idye? The rit instructions say keep it just below a boil but at least 200F. It also says to keep it on the stove too keep a consistent temp, but id prefer to use a bucket like you do. Do you think this would still work using your method?

 

[he4thbar]

If I use Rit dye can I follow the same video steps even though it's idye? The rit instructions say keep it just below a boil but at least 200F. It also says to keep it on the stove too keep a consistent temp, but id prefer to use a bucket like you do. Do you think this would still work using your method?

I would play it safe and use iDYE. Can't say I've heard people use RIT before and I know a ton of people including myself who used iDYE and it works great.

 

[Berzzi]

Unfortunately I already bought a bottle cause another guy with the same style visor as me used it and got a real deep orange out of it and I wanted something similar

 

[N8TEBB]

If I use Rit dye can I follow the same video steps even though it's idye? The rit instructions say keep it just below a boil but at least 200F. It also says to keep it on the stove too keep a consistent temp, but id prefer to use a bucket like you do. Do you think this would still work using your method?

Cadet mentioned earlier that if you're dying plastic, you'll want to use rit dye more as this is the dye they suggest for synthetics. Personally I have not tried using rit brand dye so I cannot guarantee it will work. I recall hearing complaints in the past that visors dyed with rit did not retain colour evenly. I suppose this will depend on the colour.

Here are both of the dye's instructions is you want to compare:

Rit Dye More (left) and iDye Poly (Right)​

You'll notice that iDye also instructs to keep a constant temperature at a boil for the entire process. I don't do that because it will melt the plastic visor or deform it. I also don't dye on the stove because I don't want to wreck a pot. This probably has an effect on how well the dye will stay, but seeing as this is a plastic visor and not synthetic clothing that will be worn and washed regularly, I don't think it's detrimental. My visors have kept their nice colour for many years now. If you try rit dye more, I'm not sure how necessary it is to follow the instructions exactly, as I don't necessarily follow the instructions on iDye either.

If you give it a try, please share how your results turn out!

 

[Berzzi]

Okayy, so I put it in 160F water because the glass transition temp is 175, so I thought I'd be good. Shoulda listened to N8tebb on 145F. But Rit def works. I also added the recommended 1 tsp dish soap. The silver is a piece of window chrome tint to try to see how it'd look with the chrome and if it'd be reflective enough

 

[TrueSpartanMKVI]

I do have questions of buffing visors.

Any tips on buffing visors especially for improving visibility? What are the bad examples of buffing visors especially which worsen the vision?

Also hand buffing or machine buffing for polish the visor in terms of clear visibility?

 

[N8TEBB]

I do have questions of buffing visors.

Any tips on buffing visors especially for improving visibility? What are the bad examples of buffing visors especially which worsen the vision?

Also hand buffing or machine buffing for polish the visor in terms of clear visibility?

I just polish them by hand. I haven't tried using a machine at all. The biggest affect on visibility will be if your plastic bubbles when forming it. If that happens, no amount of buffing will improve the visibility.

 

[TrueSpartanMKVI]

I just polish them by hand. I haven't tried using a machine at all. The biggest affect on visibility will be if your plastic bubbles when forming it. If that happens, no amount of buffing will improve the visibility.

So in what circumstances do you recommend when we have to polish and buffer the plastic visors, does practice required before actually buffing it for beginners to improve the visibility of the visor?

 

[N8TEBB]

So in what circumstances do you recommend when we have to polish and buffer the plastic visors, does practice required before actually buffing it for beginners to improve the visibility of the visor?

Buffing is pretty easy. Just grab some plastic polish from an automotive store and put it on the visor. Use a microfibre cloth to buff it in with a circular motion until the visor is clear again. Do both sides. Just keep buffing until the visor is clear. Easy peezy

 

[TrueSpartanMKVI]

Buffing is pretty easy. Just grab some plastic polish from an automotive store and put it on the visor. Use a microfibre cloth to buff it in with a circular motion until the visor is clear again. Do both sides. Just keep buffing until the visor is clear. Easy peezy

Really thanks for your response

I did asked because I got the helmet from the commissioner and he did dye the plastic visor but skipped the polishing part which results to this blurry vision as I described.

At least there are no plastic bubbles

Yep thats the POV of this visor of the helmet built by the commissioner

 

[N8TEBB]

Really thanks for your response

I did asked because I got the helmet from the commissioner and he did dye the plastic visor but skipped the polishing part which results to this blurry vision as I described.

At least there are no plastic bubbles
View attachment 351137
Yep thats the POV of this visor of the helmet built by the commissioner

honestly im not sure that polishing would have helped very much. My visibility isn't stellar either. That's just the nature of the plastic

 

[Cadet]

I did asked because I got the helmet from the commissioner and he did dye the plastic visor but skipped the polishing part which results to this blurry vision as I described

Like Nate says above, that is actually pretty decent to good visibility out of a hobbyist level vac form and dye set up. I know you bought from a "Vendor" on Etsy, but chances are they have a pretty standard home set up that many folks like Nate and others use. The difference is just that they sell their visors to others.

The kind of clarity I have seen you asking for in a colored and chromed/mirror finish visor in other threads is going to require very special and specific, and as such expensive, equipment. Something like electro plating. There are a handful of vendors who have those set ups and sell visors, but you are going to pay a premium price.

You can try polishing the visor but again that is actually a pretty decent level of clarity. Better than I have had on some visors.

 

[N8TEBB]

Edit 2024-09-05
I've added a note at the end of the tutorial with a link to a write up regarding how to fix possible issue you may be having relating to poor visibility. I'll re-post that link here:

Any recommendations of headlight polish for plastic visors?

Since I want to ask about polishing plastic visor for improvement of visibility, any brand of headlight polish you would recommend for buffing plastic visors of cosplay helmets? Also I may use hand buffing with microfibre cloth, I know it may sounds longer compared to machine buffing.

www.405th.com

 

[Xinal]

Not sure if this will be helpful but for any kind of sealer even some plastics ive always hit with extremely high grit sand paper in circles motions lightly to get the scuffs more fine and easier to fill with polish. The highest grit I've used is 8000 wet sand paper.